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n the face of rising urbanization challenges, two Indonesian cities have paired up with two European cities for a year-long sustainable urban development program, overseen by the European Commission.

The Commission launched the “World Cities Indonesia” program in Jakarta on Monday, which partners Makassar in South Sulawesi and Semarang in Central Java with Sevilla in Spain and Zagreb in Croatia respectively. The paired cities will share best practices and collaborate on urban development projects to be completed by middle of 2018.

Local government representatives gathered at the day-long event to meet for the first time and to introduce their respective cities. Representatives of Makassar touted the city’s smart city program, while Seville was presented as a world renowned bike-friendly city.

Andi Zulfitra Dianta, an officer from Makassar’s development and planning board shared the city’s achievements in developing online-based services, which have increased access to health care and education, while at the same time boosting the speed and transparency of providing public services.

Noting the city’s desire to expand services in similar fashion, Seville’s presentation of its bike lanes and bike rental caught the attention of the Makassar’s representatives.

Speaking to The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the meeting, Andi said the facilities would be useful in addressing the city’s growing population. He said they could also boost infrastructure development in non-motorized mobility before the population grows too large and complex for mass constructions, adding that early implementation would also help instill a riding culture in the city.

“In Seville’s case, they have developed a sophisticated bike riding culture with hundreds of docking points and thousands of bicycles available, which shows they work systematically and that it is welcomed by the society. We could use this concept, even though obviously there would many challenges ahead,” Andi said.

Margarita Valle, head of the office of accessibility, sustainability and urban innovation at Seville’s City Council, revealed that the Spanish city had developed 177 kilometers of segregated bike lanes as part of its commitment to sustainability and promoting non-motorized mobility.

Home to approximately 61.500 bike users a day, many riders make use of the SEVici service in the city, a bike sharing program that is also available in Paris and London. The city currently hosts as many as 260 docking stations and provides 2.600 bicycles for rent.

Dario Maurino, head of Seville Metropolitan Area’s North-East, said the rental program is implemented through a private-public-partnership that is mutually beneficial.

“Indeed, it is a collaboration between the private sector and town hall. We make a contract with the company and they implement all the stations and the bicycles and after that they have a period to get back their investment,” Dario said.

While Semarang noted it was too early to determine in what direction the collaboration would head, Zagreb’s housing for low-income holders was a point of interest.

Muthohar, head of housing and residential areas in Semarang, said Zagreb’s approach to providing affordable housing for low-income residents could provide inspiration Semarang’s own approach.